July 17, 2026
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Principles to Guide Our Praying
Matthew 6:9-10: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.”
These two verses, of course, are from what we typically call The Lord's Prayer. It is helpful to remember that when Jesus gave this “teaching”–for it was certainly a model prayer meant to teach us–He was responding to the disciples’ request: “teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1).
Christ certainly wasn’t giving us a sweet religious prayer to recite in church services or before going to bed. He was giving us principles to guide our praying, and the above portion was related to how His family and ekklesia would represent His Kingdom on earth. Don’t just recite the prayer; use it as a launching pad.
The Greek word for “kingdom” is basileia.(1) It refers to the dominion, reign, or rule of a king. Jesus was telling us to pray: "Father, let the rule of Heaven manifest in this earthly realm." God has chosen to partner with His family, bringing us into His plans and activities on earth; this was His desire from the very beginning. When we pray "Thy kingdom come," we are acting as His legal representatives on the earth—His Ekklesia (a ruling, legislative assembly) — releasing His rule into our circumstances. We’re declaring, “God, bring Your kingship into my neighborhood, my family, my city, my workplace, and my life!”
Then Jesus says, "Thy will be done." The Greek word for “will” is thelema,(2) which means determination, choice, desire, wish, and even pleasure. Think about the fact that God’s “desires” do not automatically take place on the earth just because He wants them to. If they did, Jesus wouldn't have commanded us to ask for them! They are realized when we partner with Him in intercession to birth His thelema, pulling His desires out of the spiritual realm and anchoring them into our families, our cities, and our nations.
God never asked us in Scripture to pray for what was predetermined to happen automatically. He never told us to pray that the sun would rise in the morning and set in the evening, for water to be wet, or for gravity to do its work. But He did ask us to pray for His Kingdom authority to be released and His will to be done in our lives and communities. He asked us to pray for laborers to be sent into His harvest fields (Matthew 9:38). He asked us to pray for others' health and safety, and against the works of satan’s kingdom (Ephesians 6). And He urged us to pray for government–those in positions of authority (1 Timothy 2:1-3).
How amazing it is that God has so determined to work with and through His earthly family. We are indeed His co-laborers, bringing heaven’s will, heaven's atmosphere, heaven’s order, heaven’s righteousness, and heaven's peace to earth.
And finally, the Greek word from which “be done” is translated is important: ginomai.(3) This New Testament word essentially means “cause to be or become.” It is used to describe God’s creation of all things (John 1:1-5; Hebrews 11:3). It is also used in reference to a person being “born” (John 8:58). Most English words beginning with “gen” come from this word and carry the concept of producing, reproducing, or becoming: genes, gender, generate, generation, etc. The New Testament word for “born again” (gennao)[4] actually comes from this word. And the tense of this verb Jesus used, ginoma (aorist imperative), indicates a command. Simply stated, Christ said we are to command or declare His will to be, to be generated, to be birthed in situations. Obviously, we aren’t commanding Him, but commanding FOR Him.
I am going to such lengths in defining these Greek words and tenses to make sure we grasp the depth of Christ’s instruction to us. This model prayer and teaching Christ gave us is not to be a religious, perfunctory, memorized recital. It is an instructive exhortation to declare Christ’s rule and authority. It is instructing and authorizing us to call forth His will, opening a portal for heaven's government to override the chaos of earth!
Obviously, the broader the scope of our prayers, the longer it can take to “generate” God’s will in situations. We have total authority (under God) in our personal lives and can accomplish things more quickly. When praying concerning nations, as we typically do in the GH15 posts, it usually takes much longer. God will not force His way into people's hearts, but He does work to change their thinking and desires. He will not simply overlook the sins of a nation, but as His people humble themselves and pray, seek His face, and turn from evil, He cleanses, heals, and redeems. This takes time.
We are working this process, and the process is working. As we persevere in our efforts, continuously releasing the power of the Holy Spirit through our prayers and decrees, God’s Kingdom rule is manifesting. His power and light are flowing, and will increase exponentially as revival increases, multiplying the fruit.
Stay the course.
Pray with me:
Father, You alerted us that it would require faith and patience to inherit our promises (Hebrews 6:12). You also told us we would need endurance and perseverance to receive these promises (Hebrews 10:35-36). Our faith gives substance to what we cannot yet see (Hebrews 11:1), and as we persevere, Your provision manifests. We ARE people of faith, and we have the fruit of patience; we will NOT grow weary in our hearts and give up. We WILL possess this land for You.
We call forth Your Kingdom rule throughout America. As a mighty army, we command Your will and pleasure to manifest in our government, our churches, and our society as a whole. We release the power of the Holy Spirit into our cities and towns, our streets and homes. We ask for His light to convict of sin, and His delivering power to lift the veil of darkness. And we persevere in our intercession for a Third Great Awakening.
We also pray for our government. Hover over the White House, enveloping President Trump and his staff in Your presence and power. We pray the same for Vice President Vance, Secretary of State Rubio, Secretary of War Hegseth, and all of the cabinet members. On this Thursday, as I write and record this, I can sense an urgency in the Spirit; something significant is about to take place. We ask for Holy Spirit’s superintending will to oversee all that occurs. And we ask all of this in Jesus’ powerful name. Amen.
Our decree:
The rule and authority of God's Kingdom are manifesting on the earth, producing the will and pleasure of King Jesus.
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James Strong, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1990), ref. no. 932.
Ibid., ref. no. 2307.
Ibid., ref. no. 1096.
Ibid., ref. no. 1080.